Tropical dermatology: Marine and aquatic dermatology

Dermatoses caused by marine organisms are frequently seen in dermatology clinics worldwide. Cutaneous injuries after exposure to marine environments include bacterial and fungal infections and lesions caused by aquatic plants and protists. Some of these diseases are well known by dermatologists, such as Vibrio vulnificus septicemia and erysipeloid, but others are uncommon, such as envenomation caused by ingestion or contact with certain dinoflagellates or cyanobacteria, which are associated with rashes that can begin Within minutes after exposure. Many marine/aquatic invertebrates, such as sponges, cnidarians, echinoderms, crustaceans, and mollusks, are associated with different kinds of dermatologic lesions that call vary from irritant or allergic contact dermatitis to physical trauma and envenomations. These cutaneous lesions May result in mild local reactions or can be associated with severe systemic reactions. Invertebrate animals, such as cnidarians, sea urchins, and worms, and aquatic vertebrates, such as venomous fishes and stingrays, are commonly associated with skin lesions in many countries, where they call constitute occupational dermatoses among fishermen and scuba divers, but they can also be observed among persons who contact these animals in kitchens or beaches. The presence of unusual lesions, a recent travel history, and/or a report of contact with an aquatic environment (including ownership of a marine or freshwater aquarium) should alert the dermatologist to the etiology of the cutaneous problems. (J Am Acad Dermatol 2009;61:733-50.)

Population size and survivorship for juvenile lemon sharks (Negaprion brevirostris) on their nursery grounds at a marine protected area in Brazil

Os tubarões enfrentam muitos obstáculos para sobreviver nos primeiros anos de vida e muitas espécies ocupam áreas de berçário. Embora estimativas de sobrevivência, particularmente para jovens, sejam essenciais para acessar, monitorar e manejar efetivamente populações animais, existem poucos cálculos destas estimativas para populações de tubarões e poucas estimativas baseadas em métodos diretos para estes animais em suas áreas de berçário. Métodos de marcação e recaptura foram utilizados no presente estudo para estimar o tamanho populacional e a sobrevivência de jovens tubarões-limão (Negaprion brevirostris) em uma área de berçário na Reserva Biológica do Atol das Rocas, Brasil. Os indivíduos foram amostrados entre 1999 e 2003 e as estimativas de tamanho populacional variaram entre 12 a 100 indivíduos jovens e a taxa de sobrevivência entre 24 e 54%, com média de 44,6% durante o período de amostragem mais robusto. A população destes tubarões jovens diminuiu ao longo de nosso estudo, ainda que as taxas de sobrevivência tenham aumentado durante o mesmo período. Mesmo um nível moderado de pesca e a remoção de fêmeas maduras em áreas adjacentes podem afetar dramaticamente pequenas populações de tubarões num berçário pequeno e isolado como o Atol das Rocas. As taxas de sobrevivência e tamanho populacional relativamente mais baixos em Rocas podem ser resultado das diferenças nas características físicas deste berçário, comparadas a outros utilizados pela espécie no Atlântico norte-ocidental. Tais parâmetros comparativamente mais baixos no Atol das Rocas sugerem a fragilidade da população jovem de tubarões-limão neste berçário.

DNA barcodes identify marine fishes of São Paulo State, Brazil

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Permian non-marine bivalves of the Falkland Islands and their palaeoenvironmental significance

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Comparative study on extracts from the tissue covering the stingers of freshwater (Potamotrygon falkneri) and marine (Dasyatis guttata) stingrays

Stingrays are elasmobranchs found along the seacoast and in some rivers of Brazil. Pain is the most conspicuous symptom observed in patients wounded by the bilaterally retroserrate stingers located in the tail, which are covered by glandular and integument tissues. In addition, cutaneous necrosis is commonly observed in injuries caused by freshwater stingrays. The aim of this work was to characterize and compare certain properties of tissue extracts obtained from the glandular tissues covering the stinger apparatus of Potamotrygon falkneri and Dasyatis guttata stingrays. By sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), tissue extracts have similar bands above 80kDa, but most differences were observed below this molecular mass. Lethal, dermonecrotic and myotoxic activities were detected only in P. falkneri tissue extract. Edematogenic activity was similar and dose dependent in both tissue extracts. Nociceptive activity was verified in both tissue extracts, but P. falkneri presented a two-fold higher activity than D. guttata tissue extract. No direct hemolysis, phospholipase A(2) and coagulant activities were observed in both tissue extracts. Antigenic cross-reactivity was noticed by ELISA and Western blotting, using antisera raised in rabbits. Species-specific sera reacted with several components of both tissue extracts, noticeably above 22 kDa. Both tissue extracts presented gelatinolytic, caseinolytic and fibrinogenolytic activities, which were not caused by the action of metalloproteinases. Hyaluronidase activity was detected only in P. falkneri tissue extract. Our experimental observations suggest that P. falkneri tissue extract is more toxic than D. guttata tissue extract. These results may explain why injuries caused by freshwater stingrays are more severe in human accidents. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Reproductive cycle and ovarian development of the marine ornamental shrimp Stenopus hispidus in captivity

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Reproductive biology and recruitment of Xiphopenaeus kroyeri in a marine protected area in the Western Atlantic: implications for resource management

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Marine anomurans (Decapoda) from the non-consolidated sublittoral bottom at the southeastern coast of Brazil

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Evaluating methods for the isolation of marine-derived fungal strains and production of bioactive secondary metabolites

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

The Production of Ligninolytic Enzymes by Marine-Derived Basidiomycetes and Their Biotechnological Potential in the Biodegradation of Recalcitrant Pollutants and the Treatment of Textile Effluents

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Habitat of juvenile Caribbean reef sharks, Carcharhinus perezi, at two oceanic insular marine protected areas in the southwestern Atlantic Ocean: Fernando de Noronha Archipelago and Atol das Rocas, Brazil

Habitat of juvenile Caribbean reef sharks, Carcharhinus perezi (Carcharhinidae), was identified using fishing surveys and capture of immature specimens at two Brazilian insular sites in the southwestern Atlantic Ocean, Fernando de Noronha Archipelago and Atol das Rocas. Standardized sampling at Fernando de Noronha indicated that parturition occurred from February to April and that a wide depth-range (at least 5-30 m) along the insular shelf was used by immature sharks throughout the year. The catch-per-unit effort of C. perezi was significantly higher inside than outside a marine protected area at this location, suggesting that these sharks are more common in pans of the reef least disturbed by human activities. More limited sampling at Atol das Rocas suggested that juvenile C. perezi occurred at similar depths and utilized similar substrate as sharks at Fernando de Noronha. These findings suggest that successful conservation and management of this economically important, protected species will need to include conservation of habitat around insular reef systems. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Skin diseases in Guiana dolphins (Sotalia guianensis) from the Paranagua estuary, Brazil: A possible indicator of a compromised marine environment

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

A multi-screening approach for marine-derived fungal metabolites and the isolation of cyclodepsipeptides from Beauveria felina

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Small-scale marine fisheries in the municipal district of Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)